Ancient Americas: Inca History & Art

THE ANCIENT AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS (History of Civilization series)
by Friedrich Katz. B&W drawings. Cover photo: Mask representing the god Quezalcoatl, Aztec, c. 1500. Condition: NEW 2000 Phoenix Press Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: Originally published in Germany in 1969. Ever since Columbus set foot on American soil ("invaded" is the correct term), and convinced he had reached India, called the native populations Indians, the origins of the aboriginal inhabitants have been hotly debated. There are few empires about which such contradictory ideas persist as those of the Inca and the Aztecs. Katz Begins his study of the ancient American civilizations - spanning the vast period from the first peoples, thirty-five to fifty thousand years ago, to the Spanish Conquest of 1517 - with a discussion of the sources of our knowledge. He describes the inhabitants, their agriculture - and the cultural sphere of Mesoamerica. Tracing the development of the civilizations of pre-Columbian America from village communities to prosperous city states, this is a fascinating account of how these civilizations culminated in the magnificent empires of the Aztecs and Inca. [1 copy available]
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FROM VIRACOCHA TO THE VIRGIN OF COPACABANA: Representation of the Sacred at Lake Titicaca
by Veronica Salles-Reese. De Leon illustrations and B&W photos. Condition: NEW 1997 Univ. of Texas Press Trade Paperback, first thus. One mark in margin on one page. Light shelf wear. Content: If you are interested in the Inca religion and mythology of South America, this is the book for you. As detailed as Urton, but much easier reading. Lake Titicaca has been a sacred place to the Andean people from prehistoric times to today. The author explores how Andean myths of cosmic and ethnic origins centered on Lake Titicaca evolved from pre-Inca times to the enthronement of the Virgin of Copacabana in 1583. She begins by describing the myths of the Kolla (pre-Inca) people and shows how their Inca conquerors attempted to establish legitimacy the reconciling their myths of cosmic and ethnic origin with teh Kolla myths. Fascinating book. [2 copies available]
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THE LAST OF THE INCAS
by Edward Hyams and George Ordish. B&W maps & de Poma drawings. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Barnes & Noble hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), 6th printing. Content: On August 28, 1533, in the torchlit square of Cuzco, the great Inca emperor Atahualpa was baptized a Christian and then garroted to death by order of Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador of dubious parentage and great ambition. In that moment, a powerful American empire which stretched across what is now three nations collapsed and sank into a poverty still unrelieved today. This book is a dramatically written, authoritative account of the Inca Empire; its rulers and their queens, its unique social structure; its cultural achievements, the special circumstances of its downfall. With comparisons to modern politics, economics and human behavior, they illuminate the story of the Incas as brightly as the gold coveted by their Spanish conquerors. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE LOST HISTORY OF THE INCAS
by Dr. David M. Jones. Over 500 color photos, maps, artworkds and fine art images. Beautiful!!! Condition: NEW 2007 Hermes House (London) over -sized soft cover, first impression. Content: This is an authoritative account of the awe-inspiring story of the Inca Empire and peoples of the sun - a guide to the lost world of the natives of the Andes: from the acient civilizations of Paracas, Chavin, Nazca and Moche to the Tiwanaku, WAri, and Chimu. A fascinating study of power, politics, war and the empire building that shaped one of the biggest and most sophisticated civilizations in history. Explores myth and religion: how ancient cultures paid homage to rainforest gods - jaguars, serpents, monkeys and birds - and to creator gods, including the Staff Deity and Inti the Sun God. One of those must-have books on the ancient Americas. [2 copies available]
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MARKHAM IN PERU: The Travels of Clements R. Markham, 1852 - 1853
by Charles R. Markham. Edited by Peter Blanchard. B&W maps and illustrations from Markham's journal. Condition: NEW 1991 University of Texas Press Trade Paperback, first edition, first printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: Clements Markham had his own ideas about what his life's work should be. In 1852, Marhkam left his father's choice, the British Navy, and set out for Peru to study the ruins of the Inca empire. His ten-month sojourn in Peru produced this journal, one of the few surviving accounts of Peru at mid-nineteenth century, and launched Markham on a career that led ultimately to the presidency of the Royal Geographical Society. His journal captures Peru in transition from the colonial past to the modern ear. He was one of the first English travelers to visit Cuzco and he also witnessed the waning of slavery on the great cotton and sugar plantations as modern machinery and Chinese coolie labor were introduced. He visited with all classes of society, from the Indian peasants, who still lived much as their Inca ancestors had done, to the Spanish-descended elites, whose Europeanized lifestyle was underwritten by fortunes made in the guano industry. Fascinating! Questions welcome. [2 copies available]
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ON THE TRAIL OF THE FEATHERED SERPENT: An Archaeologist Finds and Sails the Ancient Sea Route That Linked Incan and Aztec Civilizations
by Gene Savoy (Antisuyo). Loaded with B&W photos, maps, and drawings. End pages are decorated with the sea route Savoy followed. Condition: Gently pre-read 1974 Bobbs-Merrill hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Problems: Edgewear with chips to DJ edges plus tanning to DJ spine and a bit into the front panel. Some foxing and "spots" fore edges and top edges of book. Interior clean & tight - no tanning. Content: Peruvian myth tells of a wise man known as Viracocha who sailed awy to the north after a period of persecution. And Mexican legend is filled with tales of Quetzalcoatl, a godlike fiture who appeared by sea from the south, who established law among the Aztecs, and whose fame grew as a teacher of all things. In Mexico and Yucatan, in the Andean caves, and in the jungles of Peru, extraordinary likenesses have been noted among stone carvings relating to these legends and in the ornamental work found among the runis of the ancients. Others have dismissed these similarities as coincidence. SAvoy felt sure that hundreds of years before the Spanish Conquest - and much earlier than scientists had thought it possible - cultural interchange had taken place between South and Central America. Guided by the legends, he theorized a sea link. To prove his assumption, he set out to duplicate the mythological voyage of Viracocha/Quetzalcoatl from Peru to Mexico.This tale of daring and exciting sea expedition in a totora reed vessel rivals the adventures of Kon-Tiiki. Wonderful read! Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS: MYTHS AND SYMBOLS
by Fernando Eloretta Salazar and Edgar Elorrieta Salazar. Mostly color photos plus B&W photos and detailed site drawings. Cover: Great Pyramid of Pacaritanpu. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Sociedad Pacaritanpu Hatha (Peru) soft cover, no printing given. Content: Fernando and Edgar Elorrieta introduce the world to a new and profound view of Andean myths that they have been able to decode and convert into history and reality through a study of semiotics, aesthetics and archaeoastronomy. The authors show us ritual spaces and forms which represented natural beings, and give back the original spirit, inherent in the forms themselves to the architectural complexes. Many of the famous archaeological sites are shown with drawing and photos how they are monolithic recreations of animals and men important to the Andean societies that built them. Fascinating! [1 copy available]
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ANDEAN GOD BOOKPLATES
art from a photo. Condition: NEW package of 12 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 3.5" H x 3.0" W. We can personalize your bookplate (the font is Libra BT) - just email us the name. Any questions, click here to email us. Content: This bookplate is also a design from much of Inca and pre-Inca stonework. This is also from the Gate of the Sun.
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MACHU PICCHU BOOKPLATES
art from a photo rendering. Condition: NEW package of 12 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get at anywhere else. 4.0" H x 3.0" W. We can personalize your bookplate (the font is ZurichCalligraphic) - just email us the name. Any questions, click here to email us. Content: This beautiful rendering from a photo is used on our front page and depicts what was most likely the beauty of Machu Picchu.
$ 4.00 + $ 2.85 first class shipping. International shipping available.